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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22879663">scars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/arborealstops/pseuds/arborealstops'>arborealstops</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The West Wing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:33:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>825</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22879663</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/arborealstops/pseuds/arborealstops</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>i cannot summarize. it's sweet. cj adores kate.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>C. J. Cregg/Kate Harper</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>scars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>the return of theo's cj/kate. i haven't written them in so long i almost forgot how to do it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>if cj cregg was known for one thing, something beyond her absolute skill and dedication to her work, it would be her clumsiness. her ability to trip over thin air, to spill a half-empty cup of coffee on herself, to split her pants on some hidden nail that she couldn't find with a metal detector and yet managed to get hooked on the hem of her pantsuit. because of this, cj had an assortment of holey pantyhose- and her fair share of scars. <br/>her scars weren't something she thought about often- occasionally, she would notice a new one on her elbow or knee, try and remember where it had come from, and shrug it off. scars were a part of everyday life, and most of them didn't have any special meaning to her. there was the one on her knee from when she'd fallen outside of the white house, stumbling to find a cab at three in the morning; and another, on her forearm, from bumping the edge of a pot of hot water on one of those failed attempts at cooking. there was really only one that had any sort of meaning to her, and the meaning didn't really stand out until much after she'd gotten it. it was a thin line, on her left wrist- not very noticeable, to most people. but to cj, that scar was a memory, and a significant one at that. cj got that scar when she was twelve years old, on a camping trip with her dad. the two of them had been fishing, cj's first time with her own real pole. she'd struggled a bit, and after catching her first fish, she'd accidentally hooked herself on the wrist, leading to the end of their fishing trip. at the time, cj had cried. a lot. but her dad has been there to fix it up. now, she runs her thumb over it thoughtfully, remembering. remembering her father, who always taught her to be herself, and to love. to love with her whole heart. <br/>slowly, she slid the black strip of fabric from her shoulder, watching as the dress pooled around her feet. she felt the ends of her hair brush against her shoulder blades as she turned around, raising her face to meet her lover's gaze. <br/>kate. kate harper stood before her, blond hair falling around her shoulders, far enough to brush against her collarbones. cj reached out, and kate stepped forward, her arms wrapped around her midsection. <br/>"you're beautiful," cj whispered huskily, tracing her finger over kate's jawline. she'd said it before, but this time was different. this time, they were seeing each other for all that they were. <br/>kate looked nervous, and cj brushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear before leaning in to press a short kiss to her temple. <br/>kate relaxed, leaning against cj. she stroked the shorter woman's hair for a moment, before carefully prying kate's arms away from her midsection. <br/>kate's gaze immediately dropped, unable to face cj as she scrutinized her. <br/>cj reached out, tracing the long scar across kate's tummy with the tip of her finger. the other hand ran over the jagged scars on her forearm. <br/>there was a moment of silence, in which kate slowly tensed beneath cj's touch. finally, cj pulled kate in to herself, just holding her. <br/>cj finally broke the silence, bringing kate's arm to her lips and pressing a kiss to the scars as she softly asked, "tell me about them?"<br/>kate's eyes softened as she looked up at cj. she swallowed, hard, taking a minute before finally replying, "my mom wasn't... the greatest." she looked back down, hiding her face behind a curtain of blonde hair. "and my little brother- it was hard," she exhaled, a sharp puff of air that was quickly taken back in as cj continued to kiss each scar. "what-?"<br/>cj cut her off, hand resting on the significantly larger scar on kate's abdomen. "and this?"<br/>this time, kate met her gaze, a questioning look in her eyes. "overseas. i got... well, it wasn't pretty, to say the least." her eyes darkened slightly. <br/>cj traced her thumb over the scar again, before kneeling down and pressing three kisses against it. <br/>cj looked up, chin resting against kate's thigh. "you're beautiful," she repeated, this time meeting kate's gaze, hoping to convey how much she meant it through that once look. <br/>it wasn't either of their first times, and they'd seen their fair share of bad nights and heartbreak. but that night meant so much more. <br/>as they lay in bed, kate's arms wrapped around cj, the blonde traced a scar on her forearm. sleepily, she repeated cj's words from earlier: "tell me about them?"<br/>cj let out a huff, something between a sigh and a laugh, and closed her eyes. "that one was from last month, visiting the pet shop in the mall. there was this little puppy..."</p>
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